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LITHIA, AUTONATION ENJOY RECORD PROFITS Despite fears of car supply availability, auto dealers aren’t running into any speed bumps just yet, according to The Wall Street Journal. Both Lithia Motors and AutoNation — dealers selling new and used vehicles — reported record revenue and profits last quarter. Lithia Motors said its Q2 sales surged 118% compared with a year earlier; AutoNation’s sales jumped 54% in the same period. New vehicle shipments seem to be catching up: They were down just 6% last quarter compared with 2019 levels, AutoNation said. Demand still far outpaces supply, however. At AutoNation, there were just 14 days’ worth of inventory available for new vehicles; Lithia had 23 days’ worth. Dealers typically have 50 days or more of new car inventory on hand. That mismatch between supply and demand comes with all kinds of perks for the dealers: Not only are they commanding higher prices, but they have also been paying less interest on floor-plan loans, which are typically used to finance floor inventory. With more cars immediately sold off lots, AutoNation said it paid less than half in floor-plan interest expenses last quarter compared with a year earlier. Thanks to those favorable economics, net income at Lithia almost quadrupled last quarter compared with a year earlier, while profit at AutoNation — excluding discontinued operations — tripled. Directionally, however, some favorable trends are reversing: American auto production increased in April and May, while total vehicle sales peaked in April and then declined in the next two months, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

DAIMLER TO INVEST $47 BILLION IN EVs BY 2030 Daimler plans to invest more than $47 billion between 2022 and 2030 to develop full-electric vehicles, and be ready for an all-electric vehicle market by the end of that period, Reuters reports. But the Mercedes-Benz parent stopped short of giving a hard deadline for ending sales of fossil-fuel cars. “Mercedes-Benz will be ready to go all electric at the end of the decade, where market conditions allow,” the automaker said yesterday while outlining its strategy for an electric future. Daimler said that as of 2025, the company expects full-electric and hybrid-electric cars to make up half of sales, earlier than its previous forecast that this would happen by 2030.

WSJ: DESPITE SUPPLY WOES, AUTO SALES STILL ROLLADVERTISER NEWS Hyundai Motor posted its biggest profit in seven years, helped by sales of luxury Genesis cars and Ioniq 5 electric vehicles, but warned the global chip shortage could impact Q3 deliveries. Operating profit rose to $1.64 billion — the highest since Q2 2014, the South Korean automaker said... Reporting on its Q2, Sleep Number showed a net sales in-crease of 70% over the 2020 quarter and an increase of 36% of the same period in 2019. The company also reported a strong increase in demand, Furniture Today reports. Year-to-date demand for Sleep Number is up more than 40% over the first half of 2019... Costco is teaming up with Uber to test same-day delivery of groceries in the Texas cities of Austin, Dallas and Houston. Customers will not need to be Costco members, but they will need to spend at least $35 to have their online orders delivered… Gap is consolidating the perks customers receive from its individual credit cards and loyalty programs — Navyist Rewards, Gap Good Re-

wards, Banana Republic Rewards and Athleta Rewards — under a single pro-gram so that customers “can shop across all four brands and no matter which brand they enrolled in or how they spend, all of their points will be in one place,” Yahoo Finance reports… J.C. Penney is team-ing with Thirteen Lune, which features emerging beauty brands under Black and

Brown ownership. The companies will roll out the new items for Penney customers on a select store basis before going chain wide by the fall of 2022… Unilever said rising costs for ingredients, packaging and transportation will result in higher prices paid for its brands by consumers. The CPG gi-ant, which increased prices by 1.6% in Q2, expects further increases going forward with supply and demand challeng-es having yet to work themselves out… Procter & Gamble will pilot paper-based packaging next year for 100,000 units of Lenor, its Western European fabric softener brand. The project will help P&G scale the use of paper packaging to other brands, as it aims to reduce virgin plastic use by 50%

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PAGE 2 The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com

AVAILS The KXAS/KXTX (NBC/Telemundo Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas) sales team is seeking a Digital Sales Planner. This position will manage the day-to-day needs of KXAS/KXTX digital campaigns, including internal and external relationships affecting those campaigns for which you are solely responsible. Two-year associate degree or equivalent experience, and a minimum one year of digital experience in media planning or client service role required. Interested candidates

must submit a resume/CV through nbcunicareers.com to be considered (job #61946BR). EOE. Gray Television’s powerhouse station, WVUE FOX8, home of the New Orleans Saints, is seeking a highly experienced Major Accounts Manager. We are looking for the right person to join our amazing team. Located in iconic New Orleans, we offer a great work environment and a competitive compensation package. The preferred

candidate will be experienced and passionate about selling sponsorships and sports partnerships. Qualified applicants please apply online and attach your resume along with a cover letter. No phone calls, please. EOE. M/F/D/V.

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SURVEY: RETAIL PRIORITIZES BACK-TO-SCHOOL Retailers have big hopes for the back-to-school season, with six in 10 saying it is more important than the upcoming holiday shopping period. According to a new survey of retailers from digital promotions platform RetailMeNot, 80% of respondents say their company is ready for back-to-school, significantly higher than those who said the same in 2020 (65%), during peak stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents are significantly more likely this year than in 2020 (61% vs. 48%) to say back-to-school is their main priority over holiday shopping. Not surprisingly given these figures, 77% plan to increase their marketing investment for the back-to-school season, compared to 64% who planned to do the same in 2020. Respondents are also significantly more likely than they were in 2020 (77% vs. 65%) to say they will increase the year-over-year discounts they provide consumers. In addition, seven in 10 say they will be offering deeper discounts to online shoppers this year, and 62% say their company has made substantial changes to back-to-school e-commerce strategies this year. Promotional strategies across online and in-store will differ, with 50% of respondents offering a different amount of deals across online and in-store, and the other half running exclusive deals more often through one channel or running different types of promotions across the two channels. More than seven in 10 (71%) respondents say they will begin their back-to-school marketing efforts earlier this year than in 2020. Nearly half (47%) plan to start running promotional offering in July this year, significantly higher than those who did the same in 2020 (34%).

NETWORK NEWS While there will be no Season 6 of American Housewife on ABC, fans of the family sitcom headlined by Katy Mixon can rewatch the five existing seasons on a local TV station. Disney Media Entertainment & Distribution has cleared American Housewife for a fall 2022 broadcast syndication premiere, licensing the comedy to stations representing more than 85% of the U.S. to date. CBS Television Stations will serve as the launch group and broadcast the series on 13 of their owned stations across major markets including WLNY-TV New York; KCAL-TV Los Angeles and WPSG-TV Philadelphia... Manifest, a high-concept NBC drama with a passionate fan base, could get resurrected following its cancellation by the network. A month after the missing plane drama was axed by NBC after three seasons and Netflix opted not to pick it up, NBC is in conversations with Manifest studio Warner Bros. TV about a possible renewal. That’s according to Deadline, which reports Netflix has resumed talks with Warner Bros. TV about a fourth season on the streamer. The conversations are happening as Manifest Season 1 and Season 2 viewership continues to surge on Netflix.

THIS AND THAT AT&T said its WarnerMedia subscription streaming video service, HBO Max, and HBO pay-TV channel added 2.8 million combined subscribers in Q2. The platforms ended the period with 47 million combined subs, up 10.7 million in the past year, and 67.5 million globally, up 12 million. WarnerMedia ended the quarter with more than 12 million standalone Max subscribers in the U.S. and 31.5 million transitioned subs from HBO pay-TV... Publicis Groupe reported a strong Q2 with organic growth of 17.1%, becoming the third major holding company to rebound from weak results posted in the depths of the pandemic a year ago. Publicis delivered robust U.S. and Asia Pacific organic growth along with a big bounce back in Europe, which had a weak Q1.

CONSUMERS WANT CONTROL OVER DIGITAL ADS Audiences want more control over the digital advertising they see, and want to get more in exchange for the ads they are shown, according to a new survey by Interpublic Group’s Magna and the privacy-focused Brave web browser. While most people understand the role online ads play in supporting content, most say ads are too numerous — and too intrusive. The results also painted a dire look at ad tracking, with 70% agreeing that it was creepy to see online ads for products previously searched and 60% feeling as though they were constantly being tracked by advertisers online. “People feel completely bombarded with ads, and that’s been the main driver for negative ad sentiment,” said Kara Manatt, SVP of intelligent solutions at Magna. “They don’t want to feel trapped and want more control over their ad experiences.” Most people don’t love or trust the ads they are served, with 80% saying they don’t trust online ads, 74% saying they are not open to seeing online ads, and 74% saying they hate online ads.

7/23/2021

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The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com PAGE 3

ADVERTISER NEWS(Continued from Page 1)by 2030, according to a company statement… Domino’s reported 3.5% same-store sales growth in the U.S. for its Q2, even as it faced tough comparisons to last year’s skyrocketing pizza demand. On a two-year basis, U.S. same-store sales climbed 19.6% during the quarter. CEO Ritch Allison said the company will hike wages for workers at company-owned restaurants in certain markets and positions… Crocs blew past Wall Street estimates yesterday, raising its full-year revenue guidance amid strong global

demand despite supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Crocs said it expects its revenue to grow 60% to 65% vs. 2020. Last quarter, the retailer raised its guidance for this year, expecting sales to grow 40% to 50%. Crocs sales have boomed during the pandemic as consumers seek more comfortable footwear. Its stock has grown more than 90% year-to-date... Chipotle’s Q2 earnings and revenue topped Wall Street’s estimates. The

burrito chain also said it is forecasting same-store sales growth in the low-to-mid double digits during Q3. Chipotle’s digital sales jumped 10.5%, making up 48.5% of the company’s quarterly sales. Chipotle said dining room sales are roughly 70% of 2019 levels, while the company has held onto about 80% of the gains in its digital orders.

U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS UP TO 419,000 LAST WEEK Jobless claims rose last week to a level last recorded in early June, showing the unevenness in the labor market’s recovery, The Wall Street Journal reports. Initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, rose by 51,000 to a seasonally adjusted 419,000 for the week ended July 17, the Labor Department said yesterday. The four-week moving average, which smooths out volatility in the weekly figures, slightly increased to 385,250. The increase returned the level of claims to near levels recorded in early June. The total number paid benefits under all programs, including those created in response to the pandemic, fell by more than 1 million in early July, as many states acted to end such aid.

7/23/2021

NAR

Sales of previously owned homes rose 1.4% in June to a seasonally adjusted

annualized rate of 5.86 million. Sales were 22.9% higher

compared with June 2020.

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AS AD SPEND SURGES, BIA REVISES ’21 OUTLOOK Local TV advertising revenues are expected to be $16.2 billion in 2021, down 13% from $18.6 billion during the 2020 election year, but stronger than previously expected, according to a revised forecast from BIA Advisory Services. In its original November forecast BIA said it expected local TV spending of $15.7 billion, a 16% drop. BIA now says expects local TV advertising to rebound to $19.3 billion in 2022, a 19% gain. BIA says that the local TV figures include $1.5 billion from digital platforms in 2021, up from $1.4 billion in 2020, and $1.7 billion in 2022. OTT in particular is growing 16% this year — faster than mobile — as more consumers take advantage of streaming services on their TV screens, BIA said. Overall BIA raised its forecast for total local ad spending in all media $142.4 billion, up $4.8 billion from its original forecast in November. That includes traditional media revenue of $77.7 billion and digital media revenue of $64.7 billion. “There’s an acceleration in the market that couldn’t be accounted for last fall,” said Mark Fratrik, SVP and Chief Economist, BIA Advisory Services. “The economy is growing and we’re observing money being spent to reach audiences through various media.” The revised forecast also sees a 5.6% increase in overall compound annual growth in U.S. spending in local ad markets and expects the amount to reach $157.1 billion in 2022 and $162.1 billion in 2023. Traditional media will retain its edge over digital next year, before digital media pulls ahead to 51% by 2023.

EXISTING-HOME SALES UP AT INVENTORY GROWS After four straight months of declines, sales of previously owned homes rose 1.4% in June month-to-month to a seasonally adjust annualized rate of 5.86 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. These sales represent closings, so they are based on contracts signed in April and May. Sales were 22.9% higher compared with June 2020. That annual comparison, according to the Realtors, is still slightly skewed due to pandemic lockdowns in certain parts of the country that lasted into summer last year. The inventory of homes for sale at the end of June was 1.25 million, representing a 2.6-month supply at the current sales pace. That’s a slight improvement from May’s 2.5-month supply. Low inventory continues to put pressure on prices. The median price of an existing home sold in June hit an all-time high of $363,300. That was 23.4% higher than the price in June 2020. Much of that gain, however, is skewed due to the types of homes that are selling. Sales of homes priced between $100,000 and $250,000 fell 16% annually. Sales of homes priced between $750,000 and $1 million jumped 119%. Price gains could start to cool. New listings spiked 9% last week, compared with the same week one year ago, according to Realtor.com. Inventory saw its 15th straight week of tapering declines.